A U.S. judge has ordered the Trump administration to preserve messages related to military operations in Yemen. These messages were accidentally shared with a journalist through the Signal messaging app. The order, issued by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, requires federal agencies involved in the chat to keep all messages sent between March 11 and March 15.
The chat included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, among others. It detailed plans for airstrikes against the Houthi militant group. The Atlantic magazine published these messages, which showed Hegseth sharing specifics about the timing and targets of the attacks.
A lawyer for the Trump administration said they were already working to identify and preserve any remaining records. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi questioned Judge Boasberg’s impartiality, suggesting he should not be involved in cases related to the Trump administration.
The order comes after American Oversight, a government accountability group, sued federal agencies on Tuesday. They argued that using Signal, which can automatically delete messages, violated federal record-keeping laws. American Oversight welcomed the judge’s decision, stating that the public has a right to know how national security decisions are made.
The White House did not immediately comment on the ruling. The Atlantic’s publication of the messages contradicted earlier claims by Trump officials that no classified information was shared. The leak has raised concerns about the handling of sensitive information by the Trump administration.
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